PR Review of Downtown Chamber Series
Jordan Richman
602-256-2830
If you have any question, please contact:
Mark Dix—602-254-1491
Several Years ago DCS performed an all contemporary music performance at the Jackson Street Ice House. This large warehouse was built in 1910 to produce 300 pound blocks of ice used to refrigerate produce placed on nearby freight trains for the developing Phoenix food industries. Later on in its history it was used by the Phoenix police for its evidence storage facility. It is now an art space for large installation and performing art projects.
The Downtown Chamber Series is in its sixth year of performing chamber music at different art spaces in downtown Phoenix. It uses Phoenix Symphony members and visiting professional musicians for its solo and ensemble performances.
The program opened with Henryk Gorecki’s Quartet No.2 “Quasi una Fantasia” op 65 which was composed in 1991.
While superficially classified as a minimalist composer (one who uses repetition for major effects), Gorecki is well into the romantic tradition which culminated in the symphonies of Gustav Mahler. Indeed, for an avant garde modern composer, Gorecki has enjoyed much recognition and CD sales for his Third Symphony. Although his works may sound gloomy and pessimistic he maintains they are inspired by his Catholic faith.
Quasi una Fantasia is an intensely emotionally charged work. The cello opens the piece on a single bass note repeated endlessly to sound like a machine that has run out of power and is now only able to keep producing this minimalistic sound. The viola cautiously enters with a melody that jars in a painfully dissonant way against the cello’s single note ostinato. Gorecki’s music progresses by means of further constant and cumulative repetitions which change in character from movement to movement. In the second movement the two violins screech out motives that are wrapped in the single-minded repetitive bow strokes ushered in by the fatigued but persistent opening beats of the quartet. Fragments of Polish folk music in the second movement fail to relieve the dark world captured in this piece.
The third movement tiredly and continuously repeats a set of chords that alternates from a peaceful sound to the mood of exhaustion heard from the beginning of the piece. Rather than going on to the last movement the musicians stop at the quiet close of the third one.
Matt Ryan-Ketzenberg next played a Sonata for Cello Solo, op.28 by Eugene Ysaye (1858-1931) which was then followed by a solo violin composition entitled "Riconoscenza per Goffredo Petrassi" ("Gratitude for Goffredo Petrassi"), to honor his long time friend, Petrassi. Robert Simonds played the Carter piece. Both soloists received a second round of applause.
In 1952 Elliott Carter met the Italian composer Goffredo Petrassi while at the American Academy in Rome. In 1984 Carter wrote "Riconoscenza per Goffredo Petrassi" ("Gratitude for Goffredo Petrassi"), a solo violin piece, to honor his long time friend. Petrassi, a leading figure of Italian modernist music in the 20th century who died in 2003 in Rome at the age of 98.
Carter, who is now 98 himself but still actively composing, wrote his “Gratitude for Goffredo Petrassi”violin piece in the early 1980s when Petrassi stopped composing.
The day after Petrassi’s death Carter eulogized his Italian colleague by observing that "Petrassi's music was colorful, brilliant and interestingly orchestrated, It has, a kind of dreamy atmosphere, very different from his fellow modernist Luigi Dallapiccola, who was Florentine. Mr. Petrassi was a Roman, and more effusive.”
Carter’s work for Petrassi develops three distinct moods flowing into each other without interruption. It opens up presenting the violin singing sweetly, followed by sounds of petulance conveyed by aggressive plucking of the strings, then long sustained peaceful chords. Each of these moods has its own harmonic structure and rhythmic statements. The piece is playfully animated by the development of these three moods.
Other pieces on the program included Steve Reich’s “Violin Phase” (1967) for four violins, Astor Piazzolla’s “Tango Ballet” (1977), arranged for strings by Joel Di Bragato and live Argentine tango dancers performing to quartet music arranged by Joel Di Bartolo
Jordan Richman
602-256-2830
If you have any question, please contact:
Mark Dix—602-254-1491
Several Years ago DCS performed an all contemporary music performance at the Jackson Street Ice House. This large warehouse was built in 1910 to produce 300 pound blocks of ice used to refrigerate produce placed on nearby freight trains for the developing Phoenix food industries. Later on in its history it was used by the Phoenix police for its evidence storage facility. It is now an art space for large installation and performing art projects.
The Downtown Chamber Series is in its sixth year of performing chamber music at different art spaces in downtown Phoenix. It uses Phoenix Symphony members and visiting professional musicians for its solo and ensemble performances.
The program opened with Henryk Gorecki’s Quartet No.2 “Quasi una Fantasia” op 65 which was composed in 1991.
While superficially classified as a minimalist composer (one who uses repetition for major effects), Gorecki is well into the romantic tradition which culminated in the symphonies of Gustav Mahler. Indeed, for an avant garde modern composer, Gorecki has enjoyed much recognition and CD sales for his Third Symphony. Although his works may sound gloomy and pessimistic he maintains they are inspired by his Catholic faith.
Quasi una Fantasia is an intensely emotionally charged work. The cello opens the piece on a single bass note repeated endlessly to sound like a machine that has run out of power and is now only able to keep producing this minimalistic sound. The viola cautiously enters with a melody that jars in a painfully dissonant way against the cello’s single note ostinato. Gorecki’s music progresses by means of further constant and cumulative repetitions which change in character from movement to movement. In the second movement the two violins screech out motives that are wrapped in the single-minded repetitive bow strokes ushered in by the fatigued but persistent opening beats of the quartet. Fragments of Polish folk music in the second movement fail to relieve the dark world captured in this piece.
The third movement tiredly and continuously repeats a set of chords that alternates from a peaceful sound to the mood of exhaustion heard from the beginning of the piece. Rather than going on to the last movement the musicians stop at the quiet close of the third one.
Matt Ryan-Ketzenberg next played a Sonata for Cello Solo, op.28 by Eugene Ysaye (1858-1931) which was then followed by a solo violin composition entitled "Riconoscenza per Goffredo Petrassi" ("Gratitude for Goffredo Petrassi"), to honor his long time friend, Petrassi. Robert Simonds played the Carter piece. Both soloists received a second round of applause.
In 1952 Elliott Carter met the Italian composer Goffredo Petrassi while at the American Academy in Rome. In 1984 Carter wrote "Riconoscenza per Goffredo Petrassi" ("Gratitude for Goffredo Petrassi"), a solo violin piece, to honor his long time friend. Petrassi, a leading figure of Italian modernist music in the 20th century who died in 2003 in Rome at the age of 98.
Carter, who is now 98 himself but still actively composing, wrote his “Gratitude for Goffredo Petrassi”violin piece in the early 1980s when Petrassi stopped composing.
The day after Petrassi’s death Carter eulogized his Italian colleague by observing that "Petrassi's music was colorful, brilliant and interestingly orchestrated, It has, a kind of dreamy atmosphere, very different from his fellow modernist Luigi Dallapiccola, who was Florentine. Mr. Petrassi was a Roman, and more effusive.”
Carter’s work for Petrassi develops three distinct moods flowing into each other without interruption. It opens up presenting the violin singing sweetly, followed by sounds of petulance conveyed by aggressive plucking of the strings, then long sustained peaceful chords. Each of these moods has its own harmonic structure and rhythmic statements. The piece is playfully animated by the development of these three moods.
Other pieces on the program included Steve Reich’s “Violin Phase” (1967) for four violins, Astor Piazzolla’s “Tango Ballet” (1977), arranged for strings by Joel Di Bragato and live Argentine tango dancers performing to quartet music arranged by Joel Di Bartolo
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